Wednesday's Daily Pulse

What you need to know about Florida today

| 8/21/2013

Florida students behind nationally in college readiness

Despite a growing interest in higher education, Florida students lag the nation when it comes to being prepared for college after graduating high school, according to ACT college-admissions-test results released this morning. Only 19 percent of Florida's class of 2013 scored "college-ready" on all four ACT exams — English, math, reading and science. More from the Orlando Sentinel and the AP.

Kentucky governor blasts Florida over recruitment tactic

Kentucky Gov. Steven Beshear is ripping into Florida Gov. Rick Scott over what he calls a "crude" effort to lure businesses to the Sunshine State. Beshear on Monday sent a letter to Scott criticizing the Republican governor's attempt to get companies to relocate. Read more from the AP and the Huffington Post.

The die harder states

Thousands of Minnesota snow birds move to Florida during the winter months already, and a new tax adds an extra financial incentive not to return. The Center for the American Experiment, a Minnesota research group, found that $3 billion of income has been lost to the state since 1995 after Minnesotans relocated to Florida and Arizona. [Source: Wall Street Journal]

Q&A: The effort to make medical marijuana legal in Florida

Organizers who want medical marijuana legalized in Florida have completed the first step toward getting a proposed constitutional amendment on next year's ballot. The United For Care campaign says medical marijuana is legally providing relief and therapeutic value to residents in 19 states and the District of Columbia, so why not Florida? [Source: WLRN]

For investors, Haiti remains a tough environment

New businesses have opened throughout Haiti since a January 2010 earthquake devastated much of the country, and the government promises more development is coming. The administration of Haitian President Michel Martelly has made attracting foreign investment a top priority, using the motto "Haiti is open for business." [Source: AP]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› One Spark, Shad Khan, UNF team up for new program for entrepreneurs [Florida Times-Union] One Spark is teaming up with the University of Florida and Jaguars owner Shad Khan to bring some brain power into downtown Jacksonville. One Spark, a Jacksonville nonprofit, will launch a new program Wednesday called KYN where up-and-coming entrepreneurs can develop their businesses and UNF students will hone cutting-edge computer skills.

› All Aboard Florida seeks downtown Miami property for train hub [Miami Herald] Managers for All Aboard Florida, the project to build an Orlando-to-Miami passenger train service, are about to begin negotiations with Miami’s Community Redevelopment Agency to acquire two parcels in downtown Miami as part of the plan to build a massive train station and transportation hub downtown.

› The history of Port Canaveral[Space Coast Daily] Geographically significant for centuries, and from its early days of conception as an actual inlet to the Atlantic in the 1870s, the port now plays a major role in the business and commerce of the entire region. In this first installment of a four-part series, SpaceCoastDaily.com takes a look at the conception, initial funding, construction and opening of Port Canaveral during the years 1929–1962.